Escape the vape...with help from a respiratory therapist
I'm responding to "Escape the Vape: Health Hazards of the Latest Nicotine Craze" (January 2017). As a respiratory therapist, I have an enormous amount of exposure to the diseases that smoking and vaping cause, and I've found that many patients don't realize their health is in danger. They consider vaping to be completely different than smoking. They even describe it as "healthy because I'm just smoking water vapor." Some are unaware that it is, in fact, chemical vapor.
I love the encouragement of nurses to promote the cessation of smoking and vaping, but respiratory therapists are also great resources for nurses to help educate patients in these areas.
-MARIEL ELKINS, RRT, BSRT
Boise, Idaho
A pill for everything?
Today, it seems that we have a pill to treat just about every disease or symptom. I think it's rare to see anyone leaving a healthcare provider's office or hospital without a few prescriptions in hand. This is especially true for older adults.
According to the National Center for Health Statistics, 76% of Americans over age 60 take two or more prescription medications, and 37% of them are taking five or more.1 These polypharmacy statistics don't take into account over-the-counter medications. According to the CDC, more than 1 million people each year go to the ED due to adverse drug reactions, and over 25% are hospitalized.2
Nurses need to serve as change agents and advocate for safe medication prescribing. Forming interdisciplinary teams and having open discussions with patients can help address polypharmacy issues. Nurses and prescribers need to ask themselves: Does the patient really need this medication? What are the benefits and risks of this medication for my patient?
Patients need to become informed consumers who recognize and understand the potential harm of medications. Pharmacists also play a vital role in educating patients about the medications they've been prescribed. Just because we have a pill for everything doesn't mean they all need to be prescribed and taken.
-MAUREEN KRONING, EDD, RN
Nyack, N.Y.
REFERENCES
1. Gu Q, Dillon CF, Burt VL. Prescription drug use continues to increase: U.S. prescription drug data for 2007-2008. NCHS Data Brief No. 42, 2010. National Center for Health Statistics. 2010. https://http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db42.htm. [Context Link]
2. CDC. Medication Safety Program. Adverse drug event monitoring. 2017. http://www.cdc.gov/MedicationSafety/program_focus_activities.html. [Context Link]